The union representing employees at Warren County's nursing
home on Friday accused county freeholders of lying about staff taking unnecessary
sick days as part of the county's effort to sell Warren Haven.

Freeholder Director Ed Smith, meanwhile, stands by the
figures and criticized the union for issuing news releases instead of sitting
down to renegotiate the labor deal.

County freeholders last month expressed concern about a spike
in employees calling out sick and its effect on the facility. Officials have
stopped short of calling it an abuse of sick time or linking it to a call for
contract renegotiations.

Then last week, freeholders publicly acknowledged the county
halted admissions to Warren Haven in late February because of the reported
spike in employee call-outs.

AFSCME Local 3287, which represents nursing home staff,
issued a news release Friday, accusing freeholders of deliberately attempting
to make union employees look bad in an effort to completely privatize or sell
Warren Haven.

"Upon reviewing the data for the Certified Nursing
Assistants, it is clear to see that a majority of call out days can be tied
directly to the severe weather the county endured in February of this year,"
union President Tracy Smith said in the statement.

In February 2013, Warren Haven saw four absences due to
weather compared to 53 this February, according to the union. Tracy Smith noted
there are also 27 vacant certified nursing assistant positions at the facility.

"Were the freeholders in sunny Florida
during all of the snowstorms we endured this year?" Tracy Smith said in the
statement. "Or is this just another lame attempt by the freeholders to try and
redirect the public's attention from the ineffectiveness of the Warren Haven
administrator?"

Arguments over staffing, privatization

Gerard Meara, executive director of AFSCME Council 73, said
there's little the union can do to keep the county from possibly privatizing
Warren Haven.

The county has left Warren Haven short-staffed, which creates
mandatory overtime and leads to staff burnout, Meara said.

"Of course call-outs will increase," he said.

Using the increase in staff call-outs as a reason for
temporarily halting admissions and leaving beds empty points to the county's
desire to sell the facility, Meara said. And if that's the case, then
freeholders just need to be honest with the public, he said.

"They are clearly setting up to privatize," Meara said. "It
seems they have no intent of negotiating in good faith."

Ed Smith bristled at the notion that freeholders are not
willing to negotiate in good faith. Freeholders have been trying since February
to sit down with the union before a March 31 deadline imposed by the Warren
Haven Advisory Committee.

"First of all, I find it interesting that they have time to
put out news releases, but can't find a time to meet until April," he said.
"Where's the good-faith negotiation?"

Meara summarily dismissed Smith's criticism. It simply takes
time to coordinate union and county officials and the respective labor
attorneys, he said.

The union heads representing Warren Haven staff and
supervisors have met to discuss what union membership is willing to consider,
according to Meara. But what they ultimately decide is contingent on what
concessions the county is seeking, he said.

Freeholders respond

Freeholders last week said the spike in call-outs took into
account the weather, and Ed Smith stood by those numbers Friday.

Figures provided by human resources showed a 25 percent
increase in call-outs by CNAs for the first two months of this year over 2013,
Smith said. That translates into 200 unscheduled days off for the first 56 days
of the year for 71 employees, he said.

Compare that to 18 unscheduled days off for 43 employees in
the dietary, laundry and housekeeping services, which the county privatized
last year, Smith said.

"I guess the privatized people didn't have to deal with the
snow," he said.

As for vacant CNAs positions, the county is trying to hire
more staff but is finding it difficult because candidates need the proper
certifications and must now live in New Jersey,
Smith said. And the 27 vacant CNA positions assume staffing for a fully occupied
facility, he said.

Freeholder Rick Gardner said county officials laid out Warren
Haven's financial issues for the union more than a year ago, asking leadership
for ideas and help. The unions did not respond, so freeholders moved ahead with
creating the advisory committee, he said.

Gardner called it
ridiculous that freeholders would use the issue of sick days as a pretense for
privatizing Warren Haven, adding that the board has never accused the union of
abusing sick time, only taking a necessary step to assure the proper level of
care.

Gardner and Ed Smith reiterated their support for the
employees who have worked the necessary overtime.

"If the union reps were in front of me, I would ask them if
they are feeling guilty about the situation," Gardner
said. "That's what I would ask them because I don't."